In 2008, Brazil starts with a bang
A plethora of possibilities left in the year
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Mauro Lima's "My Name Ain't Johnny," which bowed in January, grossed 18.1 million reais ($10.4 million) and sold 2.1 million tickets, making it the year's first local hit. But the total audience for Brazilian films fell in the first half of 2008 in relation to the previous year, due basically to the disappointing performance of Rudi Lagemann's "Xuxa's Girl Dream." TV show host Xuxa Meneghel's film franchise, the perennial hit of the summer (December through March here), seems to have lost its appeal.
Bruno Barreto's "174," which Paramount scheduled to release here in August, could be one of the year's best bets, analysts and industry execs say. The fact-based drama depicts the life of the man who hijacked a public bus in 2000 in Rio, ending with the death of the hijacker and one hostage.
Pedro Butcher, editor of film trade portal Filme B, points to three comedies as likely hits: Jorge Fernando's "Rocha's War" (due in October from Fox), Claudio Torres' "My Friend's Wife" (Disney in August) and Hugo Carvana's "Mamma Joana's Home" (Imagem in July).
Also promising, he says, is Disney's July release of Marcus Figueiredo's "Didi and Ninja Lili," starring Renato Aragao, who's associated with the most traditional kids fare here.
Fernando Meirelles' "Blindness" and Walter Salles' "Linha de passe" offer high international and fest visibility and moderate B.O. potential, Butcher adds. "Devil's Reincarnation," directed and starring horrormeister Jose Mojica Marins, has generated mixed buzz.
Butcher also mentions "Once Upon A Time" by Breno Silveira (director of 2005 hit "Two Sons of Francisco") and Guel Arraes' "Romance" as having mainly arthouse appeal.
"We have directors (normally associated) with big box office who have made personal, arthouse features," Butcher says. "This is the case of Breno Silveira and Guel Arraes and, to some extent, of Meirelles and Salles."
